A site-plan/special permit application to build a large-scale photovoltaic generating system at the border of the towns of Gardiner and New Paltz, first broached in March 2019, is moving forward. If approved, it would be the first solar farm in Gardiner since the town amended its zoning code to include a solar law in 2017. At its November 24 Zoom meeting, the Gardiner Planning Board declared itself lead agency for the project’s SEQR, with coordinated environmental assessment (EAF) review to begin at the December meeting.
The proposal by Lumens Holdings 3, LLC, is for construction of a two-megawatt solar array at 262 Libertyville Road, a 49.1-acre parcel owned by Steven Sparaco just south of the Field of Dreams property. The solar farm was originally proposed to cover a 7.3-acre footprint, but the principals had to obtain a variance from the Gardiner Zoning Board of Appeals because the overall size of the lot exceeds the 20-acre limit imposed by the new solar law. The variance was granted this summer, and a minimum 150-foot lot-line setback was also waived in order to reduce the area that would need to be cleared of trees.
Planning board chair Paul Colucci asked Lumens representatives to arrange for their surveyor to place stakes at the four corners of the array footprint and along the center line of the proposed access road, in time to allow a site visit in advance of the December meeting. The applicants must also obtain a letter from the US Army Corps of Engineers, confirming that the placement of the access road will not adversely impact a delineated federal wetland on the property. A public hearing on the proposal is planned for January.
Besides the EAF review for the Lumens project, the next planning board Zoom meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, December 22, will also include a public hearing on the site-plan review for Heartwood Wildflower Farms. The proposal is for construction of an agritourism enterprise on the former tree-farm parcel adjacent to the Heartwood resort on Route 44/55 in Tuthilltown.
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